Beyond Murky Waters
by RottingIntheCloset
Summary: Trolls and Humans coexist,the sea has gone to waste due to pollution. The sea-dwellers have been forced to adapt to land and Sollux is helping Feferi study the sea to bring it back to life. He rescues an ancient sea-troll-full summary inside.  225 sucks.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Beyond Murky Waters

**Author(s): RottingInTheCloset**

**Rating: **T(May change to M later on)

**Pairings/Characters:** SolxEri, Feferi, Karkat, Gamzee, others possibly to come.

**Warnings:** Excessive amounts of adoreable innoccent Eridan. This will eventually be a yaoi. If you don't like that, how the fuck did you end up here? Really?

**Word Count: 3,455**

**Summary**: In a world where Trolls and Humans coexist and thrive, the sea has gone to waste due to pollution. The sea-dwellers have been forced to adapt to land or died, believing the finned ones to be officially extinct. Sollux is helping his now landwalking friend Feferi at her new marine biology lab when he finds the most unexpected thing washed up on the shore...a supposedly wiped out royal blood troll.

**Notes:** First try at a Homestuck fic, not so much first fic. (has plently more on another account) Might be crappy in homestuck standards...forgive me. I was just kinda suprized that there wasn't much a little mermaid thing going on with this pairing lol. Enjoy. Also on a note this is a gift for a friend. I don't really plan on making any fics after this.

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><p>He shouldn't be out here. Pulling off his glasses and setting them gingerly in his lap, he reached up to rub at his heterochromia eyes. Not that he wasn't used to staying up countless nights to program the computers but that was nothing for a troll like him. He was a technical genius after all. At least that was what others called it...in his mind it was nothing special. He could gaze into the glow of a laptop for countless hours with barely a blink and concentrate on single zeros out of ones in any pattern.<p>

He wasn't in his comfort zone however, sitting in the infernal contraption humans called a 'jeep' in the middle of the night. He had promised Feferi however that he would take over Gamzee's watch duties for one night while the druggie was pulling double at guard with Karkat. They had just gotten new equipment in the lab and without a security system installed they couldn't trust to leave it alone with just the short troll. Sure he was strong, loud, and enough to scare off a common human...but any unknown troll would see his stature as an advantage...and possibly bring back-up. A quick buck these days was worth far more than species loyalty.

At least with Gamzee there he would look slightly imposing. The six foot something clown faced subjugglator may have been incoherent half the time...but he could swing a club when prompted.

He pushed his glasses back onto his face as he gazed out into the night. He needn't bother turning the headlights on...he could sense if something was out there. Frankly the vehicle was completely unncessary in itself...but he indulged the overexcited troll when she placed the keys in his grasp. Feferi seems to have become even more perky since she as with the other sea-dwelling trolls left in the world merged completely onto land. Her fins were now gone and her means of talking had simplified...only on a rare occasion and out of habit would she 'glub'. As her royal blood taught her she was one to take immediate action and project finding a solution to the sea's pollution over the years.

Humans. Humans were the reason Sollux was forced to patrol a shoreline at...1:32am. They had abused their resources as per usual and never bothered to clean up after themselves. Choosing instead to dump all of their waste in the precious ocean..it didn't take long to kill off thousands of creatures living in the depths...some trolls included.

He groaned softly to himself as he started up the machine with a fumbling of keys and pressed his foot slowly to the gas pedal. He figured he would make a round every hour...just a quick sweep of the shore and under one of the piers at either end, waiting out this night.

It was only halfway down the coastline when he sensed it...

Reaching forward and flipping on the lights just to make sure he wasn't wrong, not that he would be, he peered out into the water. The waves were casually splashing against the sands just barely touching something solid laying in the middle of the beach. He blinked, unsure of what he just saw.

Parking the vehicle and sliding out of the seat, he fished a flashlight from the glove department opposite him and exited completely. Turning it on and pointing directly at the object he at first thought it was one of those things called a 'dolphin'. It was definately a fish of somesort...a long scaly gray body stretched out in drag in the sand. A deep rich purple color was splashed amoung the scales like the marks of a koi fish and the tail tipped off in a spike to the one side. It almost reminded him of how Feferi's fins looked...

Venturing closer and moving the light along the body of the creature he began to notice the scales ended at a large dorsal fin, the same shape as the tail. What continued from that point nearly made him drop the lightstick and his jaw altogether. It was the upper body of a troll...the gray coloring continuing with flecks of the purple koi marks lining the muscular back. It was face down in the sand, the fins that all sea-dwelling trolls sported sprouting out from either of his cheeks and two were on both elbows, his fingers curled upward like he had been clawing his way onto the land before collapsing. The two signiture troll horns were curved slightly over his head, almost like subtle lightning bolts in their shape...

"Hey buddy! You okay?" He called out, though from the looks of it that wasn't going to do much good. The creature never moved, sounded, or by any means acknowledged the other troll's presence. He took a few steps more until he was practically overtop of the stranded fish and knelt slowly, in case it would be startled awake. He nudged the tip of the flashlight against what would've been a hip and waited for the reaction to come.

Nothing.

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit..." He drowned out the i's in the word, biting his lower lip. He didn't have a rescue on his hands...he had a burial. Glancing around the area to see how far he was from the lab he eventually stood and crossed back to the jeep. He wasn't going to be able to lift the thing into the back...it was longer than he was tall. He didn't want to catch how much it weighed just it case it would crush him. Then he'd have to wait on either Gamzee or Karkat to realize he hadn't checked in...that could take hours. Gamzee would be too far off in lalaland and Karkat never turned on his walkie.

Maybe he could manage to grab the taller of the two for helping with lifting...

Leaning in through the driver side window he grabbed the walkie with the tips of his fingers, pulling it from the drink slot and into his grasp. Just as he was about to call the name out however there was a loud rasping sound from behind him. He whirled around immediately, preparing for a fight if neccessary but was met with nothing but darkness. The flashlight was still on the creature and he studied the path the light created for a moment. Who would jump him out here at this hour? Then he saw it. The slight rise of the troll's back as it forced itself up in a desperate breath of air, the rasping sound releasing again.

The damn thing was still alive.

"Fuck!"

Dropping the walkie he raced over, a million thoughts running through his mind over what exactly he was planning on doing. Basing it off the first thing that seemed a good plan, he hooked his arms under the chest and heeved. To his surprize the creature was much lighter than expected and he was falling back into the sand with the force of his lift. He heard the rasp again, this one quieter and he knew he was running out of time. Glancing over his shoulder at the sea he put force against his knees and stood, dragging the fish half more on the ground than he intended to. He knew he needed to be at least a few feet into the before he could revive the thing with a face of seawater. Enough to get it a few gulps of proper fish oxygen and then he would haul ass to the lab, knowing that the water here was definately not good for it.

His shoes were soaked when he deemed it good enough and lowered the creature slowly into the water. What he wasn't expecting was the thrashing he recieved next.

The troll was recoiling from the water, his rasping turned violent screeches of pain and Sollux yanked him as far away from the water as he could finding himself flat on his ass again. He stared as the sea-dweller used the whatever was left of its strength to crawl even further from the waves, mimicing the drag in the sand it had left earlier. Another rasp and it resumed its position face-down in the bank.

"...the fuck wath that!" He demanded out of reflex, despite knowing he wouldn't recieve a proper answer. He pushed himself to his feet once more still pondering over the violent reaction but more determined to rescue the stubborn thing. He repeated his earlier means of lifting the fish and dragged the now eerily silent being towards his jeep. Opening the back, he did all manners of pushing, pulling, shoving, tossing...anything that would fit it in properly. He had a tank of clean water in the back for emergencies such as this but with the reaction the thing had for the sea he decided against it.

Grabbing the items discarded he hopped into the front seat and revved the machine, taking off down the shore at a faster rate than normal. Holding the walkie up while trying to drive with both hands was proving difficult.

"KK you there? I need you to open the gateth!"

The last person he needed to talk to right now was the one of course who answered.

"Hey motherfucker, this is Gamzee motherfucking Makara on the walkie. Your voice is ringing out like a songbeast's melody and its magical. How blessed am I to be a motherfucking witness to such a beautiful thing."

"Gamzee not now! I need you to open the gateth for me! I got a rethcue coming in!"

"Right away brother."

Well at least that solved one problem.

"And tell KK to turn on hith damn walkie!"

He was barrelling through the open wire before he knew it, Gamzee holding true to his word luckily and he didn't bother to acknowledge the troll as he raced by. He was doing the logic in his mind once more as he pressed the garage key hanging by the mirror. A steel door opened in front of his path and he was slowing as he drove in, coming to a stop in front of two large water tanks resting in the basement. Observation tanks. Both were crystal clear and filled to the brim with fresh water. They were planning on emptying the second one day and refilling it with saltwater but being understaffed and lacking in subjects just made getting research done even harder. So far their only collection were a few freshwater trouts.

He was out and dragging the limp body up the ramp that rounded the first tank, moving to the platform the connected the two worlds. He was tense and prepared for the worst reaction yet as he slid the tail first this time into the water. No reaction...good or bad? He slowly let more of the body slip until finally all was submerged and he took a step back. The body was floating...not a good sign for fish. No movement, no rasps...the creature had to have been dead.

Sollux didn't make it in time.

He sighed and stared at the body for a moment. He had agreed to help Feferi for many reasons...some of them selfish...but at the same time he wanted what she wanted...

He wanted a normal world back. Well normal in what a troll would consider normal. He wanted to be able to curl up his recuperacoon and rest without any worries, knowing that when he crawled out the world would be the same as it should be. Slowly he came to rest on his ass and tugged his two color shoes off, rolling his pants up in liquid motions. He felt a bit dead from all of his work just now...all of it had been for nothing. If he hadn't been slacking off this creature could've been saved...he could've done so many things different.

Slowly he waded his legs into the water, staring at the body in front of him. He'd give it a few minutes of rest before he would put the being on ice for Feferi. He may have died in his quest for salvation but that didn't mean he would never be of help. Sollux tilted his head as he gazed at the face of the sea-dweller. He was young looking...his hair a scraggily mess of black with a purple wave going through it just as his scales. His eyes were closed but sensing the theme Sollux claimed them purple.

"I'm thorry..." He whispered, closing his own eyes as he looked down at his lap. It was a small moment of silence and after he had given the creature its respects he opened them again.

Only to find the body missing.

He snapped his head up, gazing around the tank curiously to see if it had drifted away but there was no sign. Maybe the dead troll had sunk...he assumed and groaned inwardly. He would have to take up diving gear to retrieve it then. This night couldn't possibly get any worse...

* * *

><p>He was shuffling back to the edge of the platform, wetsuit clinging to him in places he certainly didn't appreciate. Slipping the mouthpiece between his lips and the appropriately bi-colored goggles around his eyes he was sliding into the tank. It was darker than he expected...he had only ever been in the water twice...and the lights having dimmed overhead to save power didn't help his visibility at all. He sunk lower and lower, assuming the body to have gone all the way to the bottom and didn't hesitate onto the tip of the flippers touched concrete.<p>

On his guess he could see about two or so feet in front of him, using his arms to test the length. He walked slowly along the bottom, an eerie feeling rising on the back of his neck. He felt the water press against him...his head turning to see what had caused the disturbance but was once again met with nothing. The body had to have been close by...this tank was taller than it was wide. He continued his awkward shuffle until once again he felt the water churn. He gazed to the left, once again seeing nothing to have caused it and inwardly sighed. He didn't feel comfortable in the water.

Just when he thought to leave the body until the morning he felt the push against his back. He whirled his body with such force that he caught sight of what he was dreading to see.

There, hovering before him in the water, much more alive than anything...was the troll. He was maybe a foot away, head tilted and narrowed yellow eyes with purple iris that glowed violently in the dark of the water. They were both frozen as they stared each other down. The only movement being the occasional bubble from his oxygen mask or the swish of the mighty highblood's tail.

The fins across his face were twitching slightly and Sollux wasn't sure how to interpret that. He chose to remain still, in case the creature became startled and defensive.

Slowly the fish was making the first move, lacing its body around him in a close circle. It was as though it was studying him or seizing him up. Closer and closer the circle became until it was right on Sollux, nose an inch from his ear and it was doing the fish equivalent of sniffing at him. He couldn't help it...he shuddered.

In the next second the being had swam away, a feral sound escaping its lips as it did. He took a gulp of oxygen he forgot he needed and stared at the spot where it had just been. It was more scared of him than he was of it and that was a good thing. He didn't need to fear needing a means of escape. He pushed at the floor with his feet and sent himself upwards a bit, hands propeling him further. He smiled behind the oxygen mask. He couldn't wait to tell Feferi. An ancient troll was in her biology lab. She might even be able to get it to speak...see if there were others left like it.

He was close to the surface when he felt a strong grip around his leg. His gaze went downward and there with the most ferocious look he had seen on a troll in a long time was the sea-dweller. Eyes were wide with anger, fear, hunger...he couldn't tell but the pupils were mere slits compared to their fullness just a minute earlier. its mouth was open, skin stretched around the teeth it bared and the sound that was coming up through the water was anything but welcoming. It was on the defense now...and it was in its element.

He was tugged down deeper, the mask being slipped from his mouth from the force and the silent scream it brought forth. He had little air left now and what he would've had was bubbling up from the container, being wasted. The creature was pulling him deeper, trying to drown him apparently and it was swiming in quick zigzags. The speed and force was like a sick game of crack the whip and the last bit of air he had managed to save was released from his lungs. A torrent of water rained in on his mouth and he instinctively was trying to spit it out, only to let more in.

He was going to die at the hands of the being he just saved. What sweet irony.

Focusing what little of his mind that wasn't drifting into the sweet coon of death, he enveloped his body in his signiture telekinesis. The sea-dweller turned its gaze and screeched again, releasing his leg and hurtling towards the bottom of the tank in a panic. Once free he used the last of the energy surrounding his body to propel himself straight out of the water and onto the concrete platform. His lower half slid back into the water but he grabbed at the grated rock, gasping for all the air he could take.

Before Sollux could get used to breathing again however he felt the grip back on his leg. Managing a cry of help before he sucked in a breath he was drug underwater once more. The creature seemed intent on killing him one way or another. Now it was adding flips and spirals to its dragging, slamming his body with such power against the glass that he thought for sure one would break. It flung him into the open water and he scrambled to dog paddle up towards the surface again but the creature was back on him. This time it wrapped its tail around his mid-section, the scales that tipped it digging through the wetsuit into his flesh. Mustard colored blood was leaking into the water as it flipped, dragging him in an arch. His lungs were close to burst just as it uncoiled, sending him shooting up through the water and high up in the air. Just as his telekinesis had done he was thrown against the concrete, this time much further from the watery death.

"Jeez Sollux! We heard you screaming like it was the fucking end of your life and here you are taking a swim?"

He glanced up, air still pumping quickly through his lungs and nearly burst into a smile as he saw his friend Karkat standing above him. The security uniform was slightly wet, mostly due to the fact that Sollux had just splashed down in front of him and his face wore an agitated scowl like usual. That scowl soon dissappeared as he realized there was blood slowly pooling underneath his friend. Pulling a sickle from presumably nowhere, he growled low in his throat.

"What's going on!"

He didn't need to wait for an answer as the splashing behind Sollux was evidence they were not alone. Looking up from the wounded he gazed in rather stupored awe at the being gazing around the room.

"...that'th a highblood...a thea-dwelling highblood KK...just like Feferi wath..."

The fish turned to look at them, his head tilting slowly. Eyes were narrowing once more and its body ducked forward to swim towards them...

Karkat gripped the sickle tighter, moving to step up beside Sollux.

"If you were smart, you'd stay the FUCK back!"

It didn't head the warning, whether it didn't care or couldn't understand was the million dollar question. Closer and closer it swam and Sollux found himself shuffling further away from the edge.

"I SAID. STAY. THE. FUCK. BACK!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Beyond Murky Waters

**Author(s): RottingInTheCloset**

**Rating: **T(May change to M later on)

**Pairings/Characters:** SolxEri, Feferi, Karkat, Gamzee, others possibly to come.

**Warnings:** Excessive amounts of adoreable innoccent Eridan. This will eventually be a yaoi. If you don't like that, how the fuck did you end up here? Really?

**Word Count: 3,455**

**Summary**: In a world where Trolls and Humans coexist and thrive, the sea has gone to waste due to pollution. The sea-dwellers have been forced to adapt to land or died, believing the finned ones to be officially extinct. Sollux is helping his now landwalking friend Feferi at her new marine biology lab when he finds the most unexpected thing washed up on the shore...a supposedly wiped out royal blood troll.

**Notes:** First try at a Homestuck fic, not so much first fic. (has plently more on another account) Might be crappy in homestuck standards...forgive me. I was just kinda suprized that there wasn't much a little mermaid thing going on with this pairing lol. Enjoy. This chapter should be fun...less drama...more adoreable Eridan and his antics. Yes I am aware that dolphins and whales are mammals... and I have Sollux with his sight and Feferi not dead despite Gamzee's sober stage having passed.

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><p>Sollux was crawling his way closer to his best friend's legs, eyes never leaving the sea-dweller that was coming closer and closer by the second. He would probably deny it later when Karkat teased him but he was terrified. That highblood was far stronger than him and in the water too fast to even thinking about counterattacking. When the beast reached the edge of the platform it paused and gave Karkat enough time to move in front protectively. The two trolls watched as one purple webbed hand came to the surface, drawing out of the water slowly and flattening on the concrete. The second appendage repeated this action until the creature was hoisting itself out of the tank.<p>

Drawing his sickle back to a more ready position Karkat nudged Sollux back a bit further, his face turned in a scowl. He knew how valueable this being would be to Feferi's research, so in a way he wanted to spare it. On the other hand he wanted to slice it into sushi for what it had done to his friend. They cringed as the sound of firm scales scraped across the rough texture of the platform as the lower half of the fish was sliding up onto the floor. It wasn't until the very tip of its tail was curled up around its body that it paused. Cautious eyes were flitting back and forth, as though it was trying to comprehend why it had crawled up there in the first place.

"Well?" Karkat demanded out of the being, stomping his foot down for emphasis.

Eyes gaze up towards the shorter troll, widening slowly and its mouth dropped open as though to speak. What came out however was nowhere near a plethora of understandable words. It was a flurrish of aquatic sounds...bordering from the cry of a whale to the screech of a dolphin. He was speaking words apparently, his lips moving in rapid fashion. The sight would've been rather funny had it not been a life or death situation. When the sounds, bordening on a stern tone judging by his gaze, softened and stopped altogether the trolls were left staring at each other. For a whole minute there was no movement or reaction from any of them. That is, until Karkat desided to insert his usual two cents.

"You ignorant fuck, we can't understand a word you're saying!"

"Karkat, it probably can't underthtand you either! Tho don't theem tho ready to Thtart a fight!"

"Well what do you expect me to do? I hear you fucking screaming like your life was in fucking danger! I run in here, you're fucking bleeding! That thing is coming after you like you're a fucking...snack! I'm supposed to be polite? Offer him some FUCKING TEA?"

"Would you calm dow-"

Their arguement was interrupted as a horrible screech sounded over the walkie, echoing against the walls in the room and startling the sea-troll back into the tank. Karkat grabbed his walkie in a lightning movement, ripping it off his belt and tossing it hard in the opposite direction. They watched it sail over the tank and come crashing down onto the concrete, shattering.

"...that wath tactful..."

"Give me your walkie."

"No! Itth juth Gamzee trying to uth it in the walkie room again." Sollux pulled his own device free of his pocket and brought it to his mouth. "Gamzee...walk out of the walkie room...then try thpeaking."

They waited a moment and then slowly the buzz of air called over the system, before the drugged troll finally managed to bring words forth.

"Wow Sollux you're like a motherfucking miracle in yourself you know that bro? Your brain must be full of some magical juice to be thinking up all these wonderful ways to silence the electronic device that breeds such motherfucking hate towards me."

Sollux ignored the groan that came from his best friend as his brain processed what Gamzee was trying to tell them. He glanced up at Karkat, who was better at deciphering the confusing troll despite what he says (I can't fucking understand anything that fucker says! I swear he talks like that just to get under everyone's skin! Have you seen how he types?), and found the shorter troll with his face in his hands.

"Gamzee, do you have a point for calling uth?"

"Oh hey yeah bro, thanks for getting my think pan back in the know...the colors of this room are just so..."

Sollux lost control of his walkie as Karkat snatched it out of his hands, a frustrated growl coming out of the troll's throat.

"GAMZEE! JUST TELL US WHAT THE FUCK YOU WANTED TO-"

"Karkat, there's no need to shout at the poor guy! He's got trouble focusing you know that!"

Both the guard and the still bleeding troll on the ground froze as the singsong voice drifted over to them. Karkat's finger slipped off the walkie just as Gamzee held his attention long enough to say,

"Feferi's in early."

She was moving up the ramp, her eyes on the remnants of Karkat's walkie in her grasp. Her long hair had been pulled back by a seahorse barette, her jewelry taken off for work, and a long sarong was covering her black bathing suit. She had a tendency to find an excuse to take a swim while she worked, so showing up in such attire was normal. Bare feet carried her up to them, stopping her dead when her eyes fell upon the scene. Karkat and Sollux stared at her with equal expressions of "ooooh shit".

In the next second she was rushing over, dropping beside the injured troll and screaming out a ton of questions. Her words were mashing together at some point making anything undecipherable. Sollux tried to interrupt but it was a useless effort and Karkat was backing away slowly. Hopefully to retrieve the first-aid kit like Feferi had demanded at some point through the mess. Sollux tried pushing at her hands but she was persistant and he found himself shirtless before her could stop her. She was tracing her fingers over the wound and his face was heating up.

"What happened to you? You're a glubbin mess!"

There was the use of glub. Only when she was excited or upset did that leak out and he found himself smiling despite the situation. He missed her fish puns...her smile through the simple pleasures...back when life wasn't as complicated. Back when things were normal. She glanced up at his face and found herself blushing, looking away immediately. There was an awkward moment of silence between them.

"Fef...I'm fine. But you should know-"

Karkat had chosen that exact moment to toss the heavy first-aid kit up onto the platform, startling both of them with the loud clank. Feferi jumped off to the sound, nearly slipping off into the water, crying out in surprise. She didn't get far because at the same time the sea-dweller had decided to resurface. She screeched again and fell back onto her butt, staring at the finned troll in pure shock.

"Wha-..."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you Fef..." Sollux sighed heavily, pulling the kit over towards himself as he let it sink in.

"YOU FOUND A SEA-TROLL!" She screamed suddenly. She crawled to the edge on all fours, getting right in the poor creature's face as she did. Purple eyes met near twins and they stared, one in shock and the other in interest. "Where did you find him? Oh sorry, I'm talking like you're not even here! My name is Feferi, oh glub, this is so exciting! Where are you from? Did you swim here? Is your water polluted where you live? What blood are you? How old are you? Freshwater...wow a freshwater sea-troll! This is amazing! This is unheard of! This-this-YOU COULD DO SO MUCH FOR MY RESEARCH! Please please please tell me you are staying! I beg of you! I-"

"For fuck's sake Sol tell the girl IT CAN'T UNDERSTAND A FUCKING WORD SHE SAYS!"

Feferi quieted immediately at Karkat's words, her over cheery expression faltering a bit. She kneeled back on her feet and folded her hands on her lap as another blush creeped its way up to her face. The sea-troll had swum back a few feet in wariness, watching her with expressionless eyes. Sollux was finishing up wrapping his side as he watched the exchange of nervous glances and once he pulled his shirt back on he found the words to break the silence.

"I found it on the beach earlier...it can't theem to underthand uth or thpeak anything remotely close to wordth..." Kicking the kit aside with his foot, he crawled up beside Feferi to sit. "It can't handle thaltwater...and it...hath no feet."

Feferi's eyes widened as he added that last bit, glancing over at Sol for a moment before turning back to stare at the troll in the water. Voices were murmuring in the background as Gamzee came waltzing into the room and engaged Karkat but the mental battle up here was enough to distract them from noticing.

"It...can't understand a word?"

"Ath far as we know. It theemth to be thpeaking an ancient language. All fith thoundth."

"Oh..." Her fingers clutched at her sarong for a brief moment, something that no one but Sol would've probably noticed. Then slowly she pushed a smile back up to her features. "Oh! Well then! We'll just have to find some other way to communicate! Not all hope is lost right?"

He was smiling before he could stop it. She was so cute this way to him...all excited and overenthusiastic. Her could tell her mind was racing with ideas as she stared intently at the sea-troll. She would persist until there was no hope left, anything to help her ocean. She tried not to show it...but it was obvious jus thow much she missed the water. Her way of sitting had changed and she was now dipping her toes in the water, leaning back on her hands. He wished he could give her back her world...

Not that he was flushed for her or anything.

"You all okay up here sis?"

Feferi blinked, coming out of her thoughts and glanced up at the troll towering over her. Gamzee never wore his uniform straight, the top always unbuttoned and pulled to the one side. The shirt underneath was always a purple color, sometimes a spiral design flittering around the neck or polka dots. His belt was also polka dotted, never strung through all the loops and tended to hang on his right hip. No one complained however. It wasn't like you could expect much with him. He smiled down at her, pushing his hands into his pocket and leaning back in a slouch. She smiled back.

"Yeah we're okay...you boys are free to go...thank-you so much for working these overnights..."

"Don't worry about it, you're like a wicked friend to have...how about I grab us some breakfest and we get our munch on?"

"That sounds delightful! Allow me to treat you all! What do we feel like?"

"I got a crazy hankering for some food of the chinese origin."

"Chinese food for breakfest?"

"You're a fucking retard." Karkat growled as he came up beside the capricorn, shaking his head slowly. Gamzee glanced down and in a slow but fluid motion removed the cancer's hat and ruffled his already messy hair.

"I know you've been thinking of the delicious motherfucking dumplings all night best friend." He seemed to ignore the scowl he received and smiled brightly, untangling his fingers and looking back at the two trolls on the floor. "Chinese food sound tight with you two?"

"Yeah thure why not...itth not like nothing elthe unuthual happened today."

* * *

><p>Soon enough they found themselves on the edge of the platform, three trolls with their feet dangling in the cool water. Sollux refused to indulge the violent fish any further and kept a foot at least from the water. They had various boxes strewn about, some in their laps as they munched quietly. The sea-troll at first had been curious, swimming closer until Feferi had tried to interract and it was gone in a flash. It had hung back since then and was continuously monitoring the edge of the tank, peeking over the side and entertaining itself by doing breaches. At one point Sollux had made the mistake of asking why it did that and Feferi was launched into a rather huge explanation. This of course had led Karkat to demand for silence and so they had sat...eating away.<p>

There was a soft sound as Feferi stabbed her box with her chopsticks and set the food aside. She ignored the curious glances from her friends as she pushed forward and slid into the water.

"Feferi that's not a good idea. That fucker attacked Sollux for no reason easier."

"Probably just scared...I'll take it slow. I promise."

The boys were obviously on edge as she pushed from the side of the tank, entering the dangerous area of the water. The open area. The sea-troll had ceased its swimming, glancing up at her as she paused in the middle of the tank. Slowly it sunk into the blue, disappearing from sight.

"Fef...be careful!" Sollux cautioned and found himself standing, ready to jump in and fight the thing off if need be.

His words would've failed either way as the sea-troll was reappearing by her side, its face an inch from hers. They all froze, no one daring to startle it, and Feferi visibly swallowed her breath. She didn't move, didn't blink and just stared back. Moments of neither moving...

"Hello." She suddenly spoke and everyone flinched at the sound interrupting the tension. Despite its earlier violent reactions the sea-troll didn't even twitch, staring still at her face. "My name is Feferi." She repeated as she said earlier and a hand came through the water to pat her chest. "What's your name?" She motioned to it and waited.

The creature glanced from her face, to her chest and the outstretched hand. Its expression was unreadable...a stale blank as it thought her actions over. Slowly his webbed hand came up, mimicing her movements before and then placing flat on her palm. She gasped, a smiling spreading over her face and now all of the boys were standing. Then the fish opened its mouth...

...and bellowed the longest whale like sound yet.

Karkat sighed, tilting his head back and turning around to muffle his cussing. Sollux relaxed and shook his head. Gamzee on the other hand, bust up laughing. The three other trolls turned their heads to stare at him in confusion but he kept up the laughter. The sound was boarding on manic really.

"...what the fuck is your problem..."

"His name!" Gamzee spat through his laughter, his hands coming down to clutch at his sides. "It sounds so funny!"

"That's not its real name you dumbass! Its in its language!"

Gamzee's laughter eventually died and he wiped a tear from his eye, smearing his make-up in the process. "Yeah and it sounds funny! I ain't never heard someone being named 'Eri-dan'. Sounds like some kind of motherfucking medicine!" He stared at the fish as he leaned forward and rested his palms on his knees. "I pronounce that right motherfucker? Eri-dan. Eridan."

They all stared at him, each sets of eyes widening slowly.

"You can understand it!" They screamed in unison, once again the fish diving back into the water with a screech. Feferi gasped and frowned. "Oh I'm sorry!"

"You all can call him a he...he is a he." Gamzee corrected and then blinked back at them. "You can't understand the brother? I mean its kinda blurry but its all real good words..."

Karkat sighed, crossing his arms and leaned back on his heels. "No we can't. How high are you today you-"

He was cut off in his rant as Gamzee's eyes shifted over to him, eyes narowing slowly. It was the look that said you should probably hold off. Something that made the Cancer shiver slightly.

"You're not too high...are you?"

"Pretty sober best friend. Pretty sober. Haven't had me a decent pie since I came waltzing up into the workplace last night."

Karkat nodded slowly, his hands crawling up his arms to rub at them. The room had grown colder...or it was all in their heads.

"We should probably head home then."

Feferi glanced back into the water, watching as the scales breached the surface. The tail was shifting and he was diving up and down, enjoying the water. Thoughts were sailing through her mind, trying to wrestle through the confusion. Then it dawned on her.

"Wait boys!"

Karkat and Gamzee both paused at the beginning of the ramp down and they tilted their heads back to watch her as she smiled. She swam closer to the edge and leaned up on it, crossing arms to hold herself up.

"Gamzee...if you can bare it...would you be willing to stay for a bit longer...and maybe translate for me? Not for long I promise! If you can understand him...it could help me so much!"

Karkat shook his head and moved to grab at the taller troll's elbow. He missed as Gamzee turned to walk back and found himself standing there with arm outstretched. The highblood brought himself back to the edge of the tank and plopped down, resuming his original position and continuing to gnaw on his chinese. Feferi took that as a yes and with a delighted squeal dragged herself out of the water.

"Okay...can you speak to him? Or does he understand us?"

"He can understand us a bit. Its just hard to wrap his tongue around speaking the mighty words we speak. Its like a tornado on his lips that swirls and steals what doesn't belong to it."

"Eridan?" She called out into the water, her smile growing wider as the sea-troll turned to look at her.

* * *

><p>She had spent the next hour and a half with non-stop questions. Gamzee translated the best he could, sometimes the words coming out with improper grammar and awkward pronunciations. Karkat and Sollux had carried a conversation down out in the security room. They attempted to distract themselves with guitar hero on their phones but neither of them could look away from the camera trained on the tank for very long. Karkat teased that Sollux was flushed for the tyrian. He had only gotten teased in response over the fact that his morail was possibly something more. Silence ensued and they waited out the interrogation.<p>

When they finally saw Gamzee stand and begin his descent downt he ramp, they broke free of the screens and exited. The cancer waved his goodbye and led his moirail out to their waiting car. The gemini gravitated towards the female automatically as she followed suit and watched her wring her air free of water. She was still smiling, ear to ear, and before he could react she was wrapping him in a tight hug.

"I can't thank you enough for finding him!"

He was blushing, trying not to show how his body was instinctively reacting...how his skin felt clamy...the heat on his face...the insnae urge to kiss her...He had to cough just to distract himself long enough.

"I didn't find him Fef...he wathed up on the beach."

"And you saved him!" She held him at arm's length and he had to turn his head away to hide the emotion on his face. She finally let go and with a slight skip she was heading towards her office. "I gotta write down everything before I forget it! Go get some sleep!"

"Right..." He muttered, glancing back up at the tank. Later maybe...but he had a score to settle with a certain fishy boy.

He might've regretted this later.

"Yo Eridan!"

The fish was surfaced, lazily trailing in a circle, his tail barely propelling him along. Purple eyes flashed to his face and he felt the anger rise up. He didn't need to pick a fight. No revenge was needed. Eridan was an animal. He was running on instinct. He was an uncivilized sea-troll who wasn't worth his anger. Still..the bastard had attacked him...after he saved his life. As he neared the edge, the sea-troll mimiced the action. He got to his knees and was looking the creature straight on. Any closer and they would've been kissing.

"Let me thet thomthing thraight. If you ruin thith for FF, I'll beat your ugly face in."

He wasn't entirely sure if Eridan understood every word he said but figured with enough angry gestures between him and Feferi that he would get the point across. He watched the eyes dart in the direction his hands pointed and then saw the hint of a smile on the fish's face. He was smug about something.

"What're you thmiling about fith-breath."

And slowly Eridan was swimming away, his webbed hands coming up to form a small little symbol. Something that made Sollux's mustard blood boil. A flushed symbol.

A heart.

"Thay away from her!"

"Sollux? You're still here?" Feferi called from below. "You should go home! Get some rest! I'm okay here!"

One last gesture at the still smiling sea-troll and he obeyed the female highblood, backing down the ramp slowly. He never took his eyes off the tank.

* * *

><p><strong>Closing AN: **Sorry for the closing A/n but wanted to apology for having taken so long to make this chapter. I got stuck from the point right after Gamzee let out his secret understandings...Writers block ftw...Anyways, next one shouldn't take as long! Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Beyond Murky Waters

**Author(s): RottingInTheCloset**

**Rating: ****THIS IS THE CHAPTER THAT TRANSITIONS THE STORY INTO THE M RATING! **Do not fear as you will be warned before each m-rated part in the story. This gives you the chance to skip the parts if you rather just have the T rating bits.

**Pairings/Characters:** SolxEri, Feferi, Karkat, Gamzee, slight hints of GamKar Kanaya, others possibly to come.

**Warnings:** Excessive amounts of adoreable innoccent Eridan. This will eventually be a yaoi. If you don't like that, how the fuck did you end up here? Really?

**Word Count: 7,475**

**Summary**: In a world where Trolls and Humans coexist and thrive, the sea has gone to waste due to pollution. The sea-dwellers have been forced to adapt to land or died, believing the finned ones to be officially extinct. Sollux is helping his now landwalking friend Feferi at her new marine biology lab when he finds the most unexpected thing washed up on the shore...a supposedly wiped out royal blood troll.

**Notes:** First try at a Homestuck fic, not so much first fic. (has plently more on another account) Might be crappy in homestuck standards...forgive me. I was just kinda suprized that there wasn't much a little mermaid thing going on with this pairing lol. Enjoy. This chapter should be fun...less drama...more adoreable Eridan and his antics. Yes I am aware that dolphins and whales are mammals... and I have Sollux with his sight and Feferi not dead despite Gamzee's sober stage having passed.**I apologise in advance for Sollux's lisp. I know I messed up a few parts and probably missed correcting them. **

* * *

><p>It was about 7:32am when Sollux found himself walking through the iron gates of the lab, his fingers rubbing under his glasses at his sore eyes. He could smell the oddest hint of pecans and vanilla recognizing the scent of Feferi's favorite lotion to use after a swim. He could hear voices murmuring in the tank room and the bellowing laugh of none other than Gamzee. She must've asked him to join her once more for a communication session with Eridan.<p>

Eridan.

The arrogant ancient sea-troll that was slowly finding himself a way to dig under Sollux's skin. He was constantly staring at his Feferi. Not that she was really his...but he certainly didn't want her swimming off with...that...thing. It made his blood boil. Even when Gamzee or one of the other trolls tried to speak with him he always focused on FF. It wasn't long before he was at the foot of the ramp that led up to them and he found himself automatically gravitating towards her. He needed to be there. Needed to be her protector in case that fish dared to try anything. He made his way slowly up the slant as Gamzee appeared at the top, making his way in the opposite direction. They waved casually and he heard the odd greeting of having a "day better than most slimebeasts" whatever that meant.

He shook his head, clearing his mind and finally found his target. Feferi was draped over the side of the tank yet again, her legs kicking back and forth playfully. Her smile nearly made his heart fly out of his chest. So cute. The one thing he'd give up everything to see each and every day was her smile. She looked much prettier when she smiled then when she fretted over her job. Not that a flustered Feferi wasn't any less cute...

His heart sank back down however as Eridan popped up maybe a foot away. He was floating on a large beach ball, his body curled around it like children would do. He was smiling right back at her and the two shark teeth filled grins were perfectly matched. Hundreds of thoughts passed through his mind. Would Feferi leave them if she found out where this sea-troll came from? Ditching land and her friends for fresh water? The mere thought was tugging at his eyes but he stifled all emotion back and chose instead to interrupt the unspoken conversation.

"Mornin FF,"

She jumped slightly and glanced back over her shoulder, the grin widening further if that was possible.

"Good morning!"

Her hand patted the spot beside her and he took the invitation, braving the water and pulling off his shoes to wade along with her. It felt nice and he had missed the simple motion but his eyes were soon trained back on Eridan. He probably would never trust him again.

The aforementioned beast of burden was propeling himself on the beach ball using only his tail. This would've been amusing had he also not been uttering a feral sound the whole time. It almost reminded Sollux of laughter. Almost. It sounded too much like a seal barking to really sound like anything. His attention was drawn back to the troll beside him as her hand drifted over his. He felt his face heat up as he looked down at her's, seeing it trace along his fingers.

"We've been up since three am, Eridan is so interesting!" She blurted out, giggling back her excitement. She turned to face Sollux and grasping his hand completely. "He might be the key to saving our high-bloods!"

"I-I'm glad..." Was that all he could say right now? Really?

"Oh-ho, what's going on here?"

Both trolls let out squeaks of surprise and pushed away from each. Their flushed faces glancing back at Karkat, who had shown up for his shift. The short troll was grinning ear to ear with his arms crossed, eyebrow arching in a implying manner. Feferi was the first to regain her composure as she stood up quickly and shook her slightly damp skirt. Sollux coughed anxiously to steel his nerves but it was no use. Nothing could hide either's embarassment.

"Welcome to work Karkat! Um...I better go get your patrol schedule I made. Be right back!" Feferi was scurrying past him, her feet making the wet clacks like a barkbeast's nails would sound. Karkat ignored further comment to her and turned his attention to Sollux who was avoiding as much eye contact as possible.

"So you and her huh?"

"Itth nothing...she's just excited about fithh-boy." The gemini was spatting out the words before he could stop himself. The anger was rising in his mind and he turned back to the water, kicking one leg out in frustration.

Karkat came up beside him, sitting down and rolling up his uniform slacks. He was Sollux's best friend. This meant enduring the relationship issues that came with it. Every troll needed at least someone to confide in, otherwise shit would eventually hit the fan. He placed his legs alongside his friend's and watched as Eridan propeled past yet again.

"Is that a beach ball?"

"Yep."

"Uh-huh. Look psi-boy I know things are not going how you planned and some shit is always going to be in your way when it comes to flushing for that girl...but if you really really want something with her you shouldn't give up."

Sollux stared over at his friend, even going to the extreme of tilting down his glasses and staring directly with his pupils.

"What?" Karkat demanded, leaning back away from the stare.

"Did you jutht actually give me caring advice?"

"Oh come on! It can't be that weird for me to worry about dumb twits like you!" He delivered a punch to Sollux's shoulder as he said this, growling low as he looked away.

Sollux couldn't resist the smile that pulled over his lips as he took hold of the oppurtunity and shoved Karkat back, nearly pushing him into the water. The shorter troll's eyes widened and he caught himself before diving into the tank. Somehow he managed to roll his eyes and glare at the same time.

"Are we really going to do this?"

Sollux went to make a witty remark but in the next second he was shoved completely into the water. His heart raced when he realized he was in the sea-troll's advantage and he rushed to the surface, taking a deep breath. Swimming to the edge of the tank where Karkat was laughing loudly, he managed to take hold of the front of the security jacket.

"Wait Sollux I have a walkie on-"

Karkat didn't get a chance to finish before he was pulled into the water.

Bubbles formed quickly, most likely due to Karkat's need to cuss fervently in such situations and soon the nub horned head appeared at the surface. The two sets of eyes met and war was declared. They swam closer, both raising their arms to try and dunk the other. Sollux would've made a crab remark but Karkat looked too ready to take advantage of the situation. Instead he was launching himself out of the water with his psionics, getting enough leverage to dunk the cancer before he could react yet again. He swam back releasing his friend before retaliation could be met and he felt something press against his back.

Eyes widening in realization he slowly turned his head. The first thing he recognized was the bright colors of the beach ball. He took a deep inhale of air before he spun around completely. To his relief the sea-troll was no longer wading around on top of the ball and he sighed slightly. Before he could get too comfortable however he was being pressed down from above by two strong hands, making him cry out as Karkat dunked him. Air was lost underwater but his friend didn't hold him under, making it easy to surface. He gasped and clutched at the ball, his glasses starting to slip off. He hastilly pushed them back up his nose as he turned to face his attacker.

What happened next was the last thing he ever expected.

Karkat was laughing at his little victory as he swam back towards the edge of the tank. The game was going to be over but someone else had other plans. The dorsal fin was the first thing that was noticed as it breached the water, being seen for maybe a half-second before diving under once more. Sollux noticed it first, Karkat too busy self-gloating to catch it. His voice caught in his throat when he went to alert the cancer and he stammered, reaching out like that would do any good.

The fin grazed the surface again as it was closer to the shorter troll and this time Sollux found his voice.

"KK! That thingth coming near you!"

The face went serious within seconds and hands scrambled to bring himself up on a dry surface in a slight panic.

Karkat wasn't going to get a decent grip in time.

In the next second a body launched out of the water, a loud whale sound being bellowed as Eridan flung himself straight towards his intended prey. Webbed hands were spread like claws and teeth were bared, the tail arching up as it came down. Without thinking Sollux grabbed the first part of the sea-troll he could think of. Blue and red energy shot out and wrapped around the dorsal fin, tugging back hard so the beast was jerked violently.

Karkat was clutching at his ears in the next second, the glass around them vibrating with the horrible sound that released from Eridan. Sollux dropped his hold immediately and covered his own ears watching as the sea-troll crashed back into the water. The sound continued into the depths, the glass never ceasing to shake with its volume.

"Karkat leth get out of here before it changeth itth mind!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!"

They managed to climb out onto the concrete by the time Feferi came running up, panic evident on her features. She stared between the boys and then to the water where the faint roar of pain could be heard. The paper in her hands was being slowly crushed to death and eventually it ripped in two, the sound louder than it should've been.

"What...happened..."

"Sollux did it."

"Throw me under a buth why don't ya."

"Did what...? What did Sollux do? You guys didn't hurt him did you?" She rushed to the edge, splashing at the water with her hands. She was searching, searching desperately for the one key to her research's success. When she received no response from the ancient she turned back to them with worried eyes. "What happened?"

"Calm down Feferi, Sollux just tugged on his fin to get him away from me. He was gearing to rip my face off or something." Karkat was defending him now, standing back up on his feet and wringing out his jacket slowly.

Sollux watched her concerned face direct itself only towards the water. She didn't care about their safety so long as her precious experiement was okay. That really stung. He bit his lower lip as the anger rose to the surface. He couldn't say something...that wasn't his style...but at the same time he wanted so badly to demand of her why she was ignoring their peril. He had to do something, something to take her mind away from that wretched fish.

Maybe he could play hero.

"He'th probably a little thore. I noticed when I picked him off the beach that he had thome thort of burn on hith dorthal thin. And that wath the only thing I could've grabbed when he wath going after KK. I needed to protect KK, Feferi...you know that right?"

It was a ruthless guilt trip but in his mind it needed to be done.

He watched her face contort back into a frown and she slowly glanced away from the water. Hands balled up into the fabric wrapped around her and she sighed, looking to the ceiling then Karkat.

"I'm sorry...I'm so caught up in the possibilities...I'm losing sight of what's real and here...Are you okay Karkat...?"

There was an awkward pause as the shorter troll blushed, the apology catching up in the moment and snapping at his heart. He looked away and nodded slowly, turning his attention to the discard remains of the partol schedule. When he was out of sight, reading to himself, Sollux went to kneel by Feferi.

She didn't dare look at him. Not after what he had said to her and he was beginning to feel like the guilty one. The wailing from under the water hadn't quieted down and it was adding to the guilt. Had he really hurt the sea-troll that badly? He caught Feferi following his gaze out into the deep and she finally spoke, her voice quiet and weak.

"I'm sorry to you too Sollux...I'm just so excited. I mean...he could be the answer to give me back everything! That is, if I could ever re-adapt. Water and me, we're insepperable and I can't bare being away from it for long. It'd be like asking Karkat to throw away his copy of 'twenty-seven dresses' or 'My best friend's wedding'..." She cracked a soft smile and a light bit of laughter rang through the air.

Sollux had to admit, that was a pretty funny and accurate comparison. Before he could stop it a laugh had broke through and they both exchanged a glance. The mood softened and soon they were full-blown busting a gut. The gemini would have to thank his friend later for being ridiculously in love with RomComs. It might've just saved his friendship.

"So...you said you saw a burn?"

"Yeah it wath right across hith back fin...looked like that kid from the magic movie...with the lightning thcar."

She stared at him for a moment, bewildered by the opinion and shook her head slowly. He blushed a bit, knowing that she was probably considering him a nerd, and pushed his glasses up to distract himself. A subject change would be wonderful.

"If I can get him out of the water I can call Kanaya."

The name struck Sollux as odd instantly. He hadn't seen much of the other trolls since the sea disaster, since he chose to spend most of his time dogging Feferi's steps. Hell, he probably wouldn't even see Gamzee if it weren't for the fact that troll was roommates with Karkat.

"Why Kanaya?"

It was her turn to be confused.

"You haven't kept in contact with anyone have you?"

" 'Fraid not...why ith the thignificant to hith wound?"

Feferi smiled slowly, leaning back on her hands and dangling her feet once more into the water splashing softly. He took the moment to gaze over her body again. Taking in every detail and the curves of her body specifically. The fins having disappeared she was rounder and almost dare he say cuter...

"Kanaya is helping me. A lot. I never hung out with her much but when I was adapting to land she was right there by my side with the human Rose, guiding me and giving me someone to talk to. She offered to help me with my research and she has been...but she's been going far deeper than I have...I study the oceans...she studies the trolls. One day we hope to merge our research and create the answer...oh she'll be so excited to meet Eridan!~"

Then she gazed back at the water and bit her lower lip, shaking her hair out from behind her ears a bit.

"Problem is...we gotta get Eridan out of the water..."

* * *

><p>"This is your dumbest idea yet." Karkat spat as he pushed at the water with the tiny plastic oar.<p>

"I don't thee you coming up with anything better!"

The two trolls glared at each other across the inflatable boat they were sitting in. A trip to the nearby retail store and they were executing Sollux's master plan for capturing the sea-troll.

"Be careful boys! Don't frighten him!" Feferi cautioned from the deck, her hands gripping tightly around their only first-aid kit.

Sollux had to hold the boat steady as Karkat whirled around with a growl. "Don't frighten him? DON'T FRIGHTEN HIM?" He gestured at the water angrily, where the screaming was still going through but now there were long breaks between the cries. "He's tried to kill both of us twice and you're asking us not to frighten him! I swear if I get my hands around his little fishy throat I'll fucking murder him!"

"And that's why Sollux is going to capture him..." Feferi sighed, shaking her head.

"Don't worry FF, I'll be nice...if he doethn't try anything."

"That's all I ask."

She smiled and he felt his heart leap up into his throat. Turning back to focus on the matter at hand, he tightened his grip around the bottle of blood. The retail store didn't exactly stock fish blood but the creepy guy down at the market did. After all those days of wishing for that man to leave town and take his unearthly perverted grin with him he was actually thankful the creeper had been willing to sell them the jar.

"How are you so sure this'll work anyways?" Karkat asked ceasing his paddling and sitting back fully on the wall of the little boat, careful not to tip it. He watched Sollux fiddle with the lid and his gaze shifted to the net they had procured in the sporting goods section.

"Well I figure...thea-trollth have shark like teeth right? Maybe they hunt like sharks too."

"Uh-huh...here let me check with our resident brain and experience sea-troll on this theory." Karkat tilted his head over to the girl on the deck and arched an eyebrow. "Tell me miss ex-sea-troll, have you ever hunted your prey down like a shark does?"

"shut up KK, Fef wath a royal thea-troll...she had food brought to her. She wathn't feral."

"Still your dumbest idea yet."

"Jutht get ready with the net."

He pulled open the jar, holding it over the dark waters and tilted it. Blood spilled out and began to warp the water into a hideious velvet color. He shuddered at the idea of his plan actually working...the creature smelling the blood and launching at them for a snack. He was so sick and tired of confronting this troll. He needed a vacation. Badly.

When the jar was empty he pulled it back into the boat and they waited. In less than a minute the sound of wailing died to a complete stop and they grabbed the net in a hurry. Feferi let out a gasp as the water began to churn below them.

"Thtill think itth my dumbetht idea?"

"There's a huge sea beast about to rise to the surface and try to rip off our faces...so yes, Sollux, I do."

Bubbles appeared on the surface where the blood had been poured and in the next second they had tossed the net over. Weights brought it down and the rope attached to it quickly unraveled from the boat. A screech errupted and the rope was sinking even faster. Both grabbed at the end before it could disappear and the heaviness of the troll nearly flipped them over. Grunting in effort they tugged and leaned back as Feferi began to tug them back to the deck with a rope they had secured to the float previously.

"What does this thing eat? Whales?"

"He wath much lighter on the beach thatth for thure!"

They glanced over at the struggling female, her feet grinding into the deck as she pulled with all her might. The sea-troll had to have been swimming against them for it to be this difficult to pull. She was nearly to the edge of the tank when she got the idea to wrap the rope around a rail and pull in the opposite direction. The extra leverage put them to the dock and Sollux was the first to climb out, tossing Feferi the end of their rope. She repeated the same tactic and as they pulled Eridan out of the water Karkat climbed free of the boat.

"He's almost to the surface."

"Few more feet then." Feferi ushered Sollux off the rope as she pulled the rest of the way.

He rushed to Karkat's side and aided him in gripped the net, tugging the now silent beast onto the deck. They all froze when they realized Eridan was neither speaking nor moving and Feferi dropped the rope immediately.

"Did we hurt him more?"

In the second the rope hit the concrete the sea-troll proved them all wrong and spun quickly in the neck, having waited for the oppurtunity to take them by surprise. He thrashed and screamed, tearing at the net with his teeth and claws until he had made an escape route. Before anyone could react, before Karkat even had time to get a cuss out, Sollux had done the first thing that came to his mind.

He don't know why it seemed like such a good idea at the time...but his body acted without his mind really. He knew he wanted to help Feferi and he knew that getting Eridan checked over by Kanaya could be one the much needed clues in all this mess. So that's how he found himself straddling Eridan's fish tail, his hands gripping at the finned wrists of the sea-troll, pinning him down roughly against the deck.

"We're trying to help you!"

Eridan stared silently up at him, both of them breathing heavily. Sollux from the effort and Eridan from the lack of water.

Sollux sucked in a breath, having never really stared at the troll long enough. He took in every detail at this moment...noticing how the fins were transparent, the eyes were wider than most trolls, and how the streak in his hair was like a wave. The way the gills opened and closed along his neck and how he never really closed his mouth. Teeth were always barred with him.

He suddenly felt caught up in the moment. After all the troll had done to try and kill him, he had overpowered and dominated him. He was in control finally. He cracked a slow forming grin and watched as the expression changed on his prey. From fear to confusion and he couldn't sworn he saw the hint of a smile twitching at the mouth. Was the sea-troll finding this amusing? Was he enjoying being pinned by Sollux?How could he win if his rival was havin fun?

Was this a game?

Was Eridan just messing with him all this time? Waiting for this moment when Sollux would start to play along? The thing with Feferi? Was it all just to agitate and goad him? He felt it rising up into his chest before he could stop and soon he was laughing. The sound wasn't pure, wasn't a general sense of enjoyment. It was the laughter of someone who just needed to relieve stress...and boy had some stressed bottled up inside of him.

The smile formed completely on Eridan's face and the resistance to his grip ended. The expression softened and his eyes lidded halfway. Was it exhaustion...? Or had he planned this moment? Waited for it to happen?

Sollux had so many questions.

Karkat's cough was the only thing that broke their staring competition and all attention was brought to him.

"We should probably get the fish in a wading tank...you know...before he sufficates...unless of course..." He smirked slowly. "...He can survive on your gaze alone."

"R-right...thorry..."

"I didn't hear a denial."

"Shut up KK."

"Boys." Feferi piped up, waving her hands slightly. "The wading tank?"

* * *

><p>"Honestly Feferi, when you said you had discovered an ancient sea-troll, I was expecting a misinterpretted fish to be in your aquarium."<p>

Sollux and Karkat glanced up as Feferi rushed past them to greet the fashionably late troll in the doorway. They hugged briefly and Kanaya returned her gaze to the small glass tank that rest between the boys. Eridan was draped over the side, trying to reach Karkat's walkie that was placed on the floor beside it. He didn't glance up until Kanaya had walked right up to him, no ounce of fear in her. She tugged her sheer gloves off as well as her hat and scarf and for a moment Sollux wondered how she had managed to endure the heat in all of that.

She brought her hand up, fingers tracing under Eridan's chin and she lifted his head up to gaze directly into his eyes.

"My you are indeed a rare sight now, aren't you? What is your name?"

Sollux waited for the bellow of a whale sound that would be Eridan's answer but it never came. Instead the sea-troll was glaring up at her, his lips in a flat line and his pupils contracting slightly. He was wary of her...frightened even...something about Kanaya was setting him off in the wrong way.

"His name is Eridan, at least that's what Gamzee translated." Feferi offered for him, not seeming to notice the peculiar way he was reacting to the new troll. "He doesn't speak our language yet...well he can understand us somewhat but he can't seem to actually form the words with his mouth. And he's very playful, kinda a handful...took us a lot of effort to get him in this tank, trust me." She was rambling but that was nothing new and her entire body seemed to tremble in excitement.

Sollux looked past her to Karkat, both trying to read the mood and decide whether it was a good time to take a lunch break. After a few hand motions, they agreed and the shorter troll headed for the lockers.

"Hey FF, we're gonna take a break. Walkie uth if you need anything."

She barely paid mind to him, giving him a hand gesture that said they were free to go and he slipped away quietly. He glanced back instinctively, feeling eyes on him, and noticed how Eridan was staring at him. The wide eyes seemed to shake and his lips were parted like he was about to speak. Sollux didn't care for whatever he would've had to share, more intent on leaving the beast to suffer. He smirked to himself as he closed the door behind him and found Karkat waiting with keys ready.

"Who'th buying?"

"I bought last time. Your turn."

"Figureth."

They greeted Rose on their way out, not staying to chat but a mere wave and hello. Sollux couldn't help but catch sight of the items she was carrying in a plastic box. His curiousity was momentarily peaked as he could've sworn some of the items resembled sexual bands and toys. He pushed it to the back of his mind as they made it to Karkat's car, an old gray tracker.

It wasn't long before they were standing in front a cashier at a local Royal Burger, the human seeming a bit apprehensive over serving trolls.

"I'll take a number 11, with a Pepsi...and he would like a number 6 with a and extra sauce."

Sometimes Sollux really appreciated hanging out with Karkat. The troll knew he hated when people judged him by his lisp and so whenever they went out to eat he ordered for him, always knowing what he wanted. They sat at a nearby table and the cancer began to strike up a conversation but Sollux was drifting off. His mind faded to the look Eridan had given him before they had left. The way he had been looking at Kanaya bothered him too...

Was Eridan afraid of other trolls? Had he seen Kanaya before this meeting? Did he know something they didn't know? And what were those things Rose was bringing in? What were they going to do to the sea-troll?

He hadn't realized how lost in his thoughts he had been until Karkat slammed their tray down on the table in front of him. He jumped and his hand rose quickly to defend himself, knocking his glasses off in the process.

"Jeez what's wrong with you? I've only been trying to talk to you for the last 10 minutes and you haven't even acknowledged my presence! Sorry if you want better company, I'm sure I could pay some asshole around here to pretend to be as important of a friend as I thought I was." Karkat slid into his seat, glaring at the gemini across from and picking up his thing of fries immediately. He shoved a handful into his mouth, never taking his eyes off Sollux.

"Thorry...thomething'th bothering me..." He responded as he bent to pick up the lost glasses, a human nearly crushing them before he could get there.

"No shit, figure that out all on your own? What exactly is bothering you?"

Eridan.

But he couldn't say that. He hated the fish, he knew it, and suddenly caring was never a good sign. He wanted to talk but this wasn't a subject he could just throw out to anyone. He needed to pick carefully who he shared his concerns with. He trusted Karkat...but the troll was also the type to use any information against you when needed. The last thing he wanted at the moment was someone teasing him that he might actually give a damn about a troll who had tried to kill him twice.

What could he lie with though? Feferi? Maybe lack of sleep? So many limited choices given he barely worried about anything nowadays. He was kind of a robot now, working automatically and following the female troll when she needed. He was placing the glasses back on his face and sliding into his seat when he finally chose the right lie. Turning to face his friend he was met with an intense glare that said he was found out.

"Its that sea-troll isn't it?"

"...ah...what...? No! No...jutht Feferi..." He stammered as the color of mustard rose to his cheeks, looking away to hide it.

"I can tell you're lying Sollux," Karkat sighed, picking up his drink to take a quick sip. "Don't sweat it...I'm thinking about him too." Sollux stared at him in disbelief, watching the cancer crack open one eye to glare at him. "What? You think I'm making fun of you or something? I saw the way that troll was looking at Kanaya before we left. Something had him on edge. He looked like it was going to be a life or death situation...like he had met her before."

Sollux's jaw dropped open a little, his hands clenching tighter around his soda as he processed everything. Karkat had noticed it too. It wasn't just his imagination. Eridan knew Kanaya. Eridan was afraid of Kanaya. But why? He felt his heart sink as his thoughts grew darker. Images of Kanaya torturing the sea-troll...first with several needles draining his blood...tying him down and making him sufficate on dry land. He could hear his heartbeat in his head, even each swallow echoing through his mind. He had the urge to go back. To run back and free the fish before anything could happen. His eyes narrowed...

and his best friend was already putting their food into a carry-out bag.

"Let's go check on the princess locked in the tower before you have a heartattack."

"Heh...thankth KK."

* * *

><p>Sollux had frozen in the doorway, thankful his height was blocking Karkat from seeing what he was. The images of Eridan gasping and writhing for breath, his lungs collapsing inside him, and the pain on his face flashed through his mind. Just as he invisioned Eridan was tied up...his wrists bound tightly on either side of the tank with his back against the glass. His tail was curled against the other edge, the wading tank too small to really let him stretch, and just under the fin was another band to keep it from moving. The only difference from his mental horror film was a gag keeping the sea-trolls razor sharp teeth from biting down and that the tank was still filled with enough water to reach his gills. He wasn't in danger of sufficating...but he certainly wasn't in flattering position.<p>

Feferi was kneeled beside the tank and Rose, both scribbling down notes as Kanaya talked from the other side. The virgo was running her fingers along Eridan's exposed arm fins as she explained in various details the functions and versatility of them. They were all so focused that they never paid any attention to the sea-troll's expression...but Sollux saw it clearly. Eridan's gray face was unbelievably flushed in purple, his eyes closed tightly and his lips twisted into the best frown they could manage. As Karkat pushed pas the gemini and froze as well at the sight, one eye cracked open and the flush deepened immediately. Both eyes honned in on the two other males in the room and they pleaded and begged...pleaded for freedom.

"Ah once again we are graced with the presence of two rather un-sporty fellows, Sollux and Karkat, welcome back." Kanaya greeted, without looking up from the fin in her grasp. "I was just explaining to Feferi here about the wonderous mechaninism that is a fin. Surely she understands but I feel the need to share it either way."

Feferi turned her gaze to them, smiled and waved, then went back to focusing on her notes as Kanya continued without another hesitation.

"...wow...you weren't far off with the whole torture fantasy were you...?" Karkat nudged him in the side and smirked before he was moving to the security center.

"it wathn't a fantathy!" Sollux growled back, moving to follow but Kanaya called him before he could get far.

"Ah Sollux, do not stray too far if you please. I may need your assistance, what with you being of an opposite gender and all." She waved him over and he hesitantly strolled in their direction, eyes not coming off the sea-troll.

Eridan was following him with his eyes, the flush across his face slowly becoming deeper with each step. He pushed at his restraints and his mouth parted as he tried to speak but all that could make through the gag was a low depression whine. Sollux swallowed as he watched the pitiful display and finally he stopped two feet behind Feferi. He hadn't realized that Kanaya was still speaking until he felt Fef's gentle nudge on his leg. He glanced up, his mind for some reason blocking the majority of what the virgo was saying, catching few words of making Eridan comfortable during her next part of explanation.

He went back to focusing on Eridan's expression with a brief nod to agree to whatever she had said and he saw the pupils dilate as he squirmed even more. Kanaya's hand was drifting underwater and down his stomach and Sollux found himself wondering if he was finally going to see the reason why the fish was so on edge around her. He wasn't expecting what happened next in the least..

Gray fingers were moving across his scales, coming to a stop at a teardrop shaped break and running across the rim. The gemini felt his breath hitch and he barely stopped himself from releasing a loud awkward cough when he realized what that hole was for. The fish was letting out a violent shriek now as he pushed and pulled at the restraints, his tail almost bucking upward as he attempted to pull away. One finger didn't hesitate to take that as an invitation and was slipping slowly into the hole.

"Ah...Kanaya, we...could skip this part..." Feferi piped up, her face flushed brightly as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't make any eye contact with what was going on as her hands moving to fidget with her hair.

"Nonsense Feferi, this is an important part of any male anatomy and should not be overlooked. Not to mention that an aquatic troll's copulatory organ is incredibly unique in both shape and size. I'll just get this gentlemen's reproductive state of mind in motion and we'll continue our research."

She was rubbing her index inside, thumb following and pressing down from the outside as she did. At the same time she was motioning with her other hand for Sollux to come closer, asking him to stroke at the base of the sea-troll's horns. He didn't dare move from his spot however. He knew how it felt to be rubbed there...where the skin met the bone of the horn and how sensititive the spot became on arousal. Eridan's face was enough to tell him that Kanaya's exploration was borderline torture. So far Sollux's horrible nightmare/day dream ideas weren't too far off, making him want to punch Karkat later for having ditched him.

How could Kanaya do this so calmly?

Lost in his thoughts he hadn't noticed that she was no longer inside of the writhing troll but instead both hands were below the surface and around a purple and grey organ. Sollux flushed as he found himself staring at the stiffening flesh in her grasp. Judging by the length it was already and she was still stroking to excite him further, the penis was at least a foot and a half long. The base color of it had to be grey and the purple being the blood that was coursing through it. Little ridges decorated it and if you focused it appeared to be spines that lifted free from the cock the more he squirmed.

"Unlike regular male trolls and male sea-trolls...the pure type of these royal blood's phallus is rather straightforward in shape. A bit cone-like really. It curves upward a tiny bit the more aroused they become and as you can see here..these tiny little ridges..."

She tightened her grip slightly on the tip of the cock, keeping it from slipping free as she ran a finger across one of the spines.

The sound that escaped Eridan was violent and loud, his tail wrenching hard against the band around it. The faint sound of the threads straining and snapping seemed to echo across the room. In the next second the tail was curling back inward, releasing the bind altogether and sending the large spine tipped end right across Kanaya's face. A moment of panic erupted and before anyone could react the other restraints were reduced to mere straps on the floor, the glass being cracked through on the one side and the water being emptied out immediately.

The tank tipped altogether and in a roar akin to a dragon's, Eridan was launching himself in the best way possible to tear at Kanaya's throat. In just a second three things were immediately recognized by Sollux.

1. Eridan's strength seemed to have increased ten-fold.

ounce of this reaction was pure hatred and rage.

if anything, if he reached Kanaya he would surely kill her.

Without another thought he rushed forward and flattened himself on top of the angry beast, pinning him down to the best of his ability. Though Eridan thrashed and screamed, his webbed hands scraping across the floor, he could not move once Sollux was on top of him.

The females were rushing to the other side of the room and Karkat's distant yelling voice coming closer.

The gemini leaned down pressing his arms down harder on the sea-troll's back, able to get close enough to whisper in his ear. He had no clue where the urge to speak the words came from. He just knew...he had to make things right...in any way he could do it.

"Calm down...calm down. I know...what she did to you is wrong. You're not an animal. You're one of us...just different. Calm down...let us get you back in the tank...I promise Eridan. No one will touch you like that again."

The sea-troll's thrashing began to die down, his breathing becoming labored. Sollux throught at first it was the lack of properly administered oxygen getting to his gills but slowly the tinged purple eyes turned to look at him and a soft whimper of fear broke through the gag.

"I promise. No one. Ever again."

* * *

><p><strong>Closing AN:** **If you all couldn't tell from the way this chapter was written, Kanaya is one of my least favorite Homestuck characters...right up there with Jade. I despise the way she speaks/types and it drove me up a god forsaken wall just even remotely trying to match her means of adding unnecessary adjectives and adverbs and all as an English major drives me into the edge of insanity and I apologise for this being so late and my ramble I've decided to place here at the bottom with limited punctuation because my brain is fried. But I managed to established two connections I wanted to in this chapter by an unearthly means and once again I apologize if this chapter feels lacking unlike my other two. I am not proud of it...but it got my key points. Was that scene with Kanaya and Eridan necessary? Yes. Why? You'll find out later. And I ended it specifically on Sollux promising because the next chapter is one of the ultimate turning points. Brace yourselves. **

**Thanks for sticking by me and reading this mound of malarkey and may you all have a pleasant evening if you don't gauge your eyes out afterwards.  
><strong>


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